Blog Tour (Book Review): Once Upon a Summer: A Folk and Fairy Tail Anthology

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be joining the blog tour for Once Upon a Summer: A Folk and Fairy Tale anthology, a fantastic collection of summer themed stories.

Please do check out the other stops on the tour.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

A village abandons all they knew in search of water.
A man covets the last roses of summer and pays the price in blood.
Two young monsters seek a peaceful life by the seaside.
A scorching prophecy threatens to destroy all that a princess holds dear.

Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Around a crackling bonfire beneath a sky that never grew dark they were shared, and traded, and altered, until every corner of the globe had their own collection of tales.

In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Summer , a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 15 authors across the globe. It covers everything from summer romances to eco-terror to seaside ghost stories, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.


Inside this anthology:
The I Scream Van by Caroline Logan
What Big Geese You Have by Adie Hart
The Forest at the End of the World by Josie Jaffrey
It Is Written by S. Markem
These Burning Bones by Laila Amado
Vespertine by Elanna Bellows
The Last Roses of Summer by Kate Longstone
Love, Pride, Virtue and Fate by Bharat Krishnan
Juniper and the Upside Down Well by Ella Holmes
Love in the Time of Volcanoes by Jake Curran-Pipe
Bluebeard’s Beach House by Jenna Smithwick
The Knucker of Lyminster by Katherine Shaw
Summer Dreams by R. A. Gerritse
The Witches of Dogtown by A. J. Van Belle
Contract with a Mermaid by M. J. Weatherall

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Once Upon a Summer: A Folk and Fairy Tail Anthology”

Book Review: Mystic Reborn (An Archives of Evelium Tale) – Jeffrey Speight

Hello!

Hopefully third time is the charm, and this review will make it out into the world despite wordpress and my on the move wifi not playing ball. Anyway, today I am delighted to be (belatedly) reviewing Mystic Reborn by Jeffrey Speight, the second book in the Archives of Evelium and the folow up to the wonderful Paladin Unbound. A massive thank you to the author for the physical arc and sorry it’s taken so long!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

Some paths are meant to be walked alone.

Mystic Reborn is the continuation of Paladin Unbound, the
award-winning start of the Archives of Evelium.

After embracing his destiny as the last of the Paladins, Umhra
the Peacebreaker is granted ancient powers by the gods. When
he returns to the ruins of Antiikin to fulfill a promise, he
embarks on a journey that will push the limits of his abilities.

As the Grey Queen’s arrival heralds the fulfillment of a
prophecy that could mean the end of humanity, the kingdom
of Evelium desperately needs a hero. Can Umhra once more
rise to the challenge and save mankind from annihilation?

Continue reading “Book Review: Mystic Reborn (An Archives of Evelium Tale) – Jeffrey Speight”

Blog Tour (Book Review): Chronicles from the World of Guilt – Chris Durston

Hello!

After A WEEK and train wifi playing absolute havoc with my attempts to get this post up and running, I’m delighted to be belatedly joining the blog tour for Chronicles from the World of Guilt by Chris Durston, a book that caught me by surprise.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

What is Guilt?

Is it an enormous flying whale? Maybe an alien, come from deep space to punish us? Some call it an angel or a god, others a demon.

What nobody can deny is that it is the end.

These tales chronicle the story of the Earth in the centuries after the apocalypse: struggles for survival against twisted, horrific foes; small moments of kindness and warmth in the dark; life going on, even as the whole world changes.

These are the Chronicles from the World of Guilt.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Chronicles from the World of Guilt – Chris Durston”

Blog Tour (Book Review): The Rarkyn’s Familar (The Rarkyn Trilogy #1) – Nicky Lee

Hello!

Today I am joining the Escapists Tours blog tour for The Rarkyn’s Familiar by Nicky Lee, which is the first book in The Rarkyn Trilogy – and what a fantastic book it is! Please do check out the other blogs taking part in the tour!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

An orphan bent on revenge. A monster searching for freedom. A forbidden pact that binds their fates together.

Lyss has heard her father’s screams; smelled the iron-tang of his blood. She’s witnessed his execution.

And plotted her revenge.

Then a violent encounter traps Lyss in a blood-pact with a rarkyn from the otherworld and imbues her with the monster’s forbidden magic. A magic that will erode her sanity. To break the pact, she and the rarkyn must journey to the heart of the Empire. All that stands in their way are the mountains and the Empire’s soldiers—and each other.

But horrors await them on the road, horrors even rarkyns fear. The most terrifying monster isn’t the one Lyss travels with…

It’s the one that’s awoken inside her.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): The Rarkyn’s Familar (The Rarkyn Trilogy #1) – Nicky Lee”

Blog Tour (Book Review): Mestiza Blood – V. Castro

Hello!

Today I’m here with the first blog tour of 2022, and I am delighted to be helping to kick off the Random Things Tour for Mestiza Blood by V. Castro which is out from Flame Tree Publishing later this month. This was a stunning collection that caught me completely by surprise.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

From the lauded author of The Queen of the Cicadas (which picked up starred reviews from PW, Kirkus and Booklist who called her “a dynamic and innovative voice”) comes a short story collection of nightmares, dreams, desire and visions focused on the Chicana experience. V.Castro weaves urban legend, folklore, life experience and heartache in this personal journey beginning in south Texas: a bar where a devil dances the night away; a street fight in a neighborhood that may not have been a fight after all; a vengeful chola at the beginning of the apocalypse; mind swapping in the not so far future; satan who falls and finds herself in a brothel in Amsterdam; the keys to Mictlan given to a woman after she dies during a pandemic. The collection finishes with two longer tales: The Final Porn Star is a twist on the final girl trope and slasher, with a creature from Mexican folklore; and Truck Stop is an erotic horror romance with two hearts: a video store and a truck stop.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Mestiza Blood – V. Castro”

Book Review: The Isle of a Thousand Worlds (The Weirdwater Confluence #2) – Dan Fitzgerald

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be reviewing The Isle of a Thousand Worlds by Dan Fitzgerald, the second book in the Weirdwater Confluence Duology which is out from Shadow Spark Publishing on the 15th January 2022. I absolutely adored the first book in this pair, The Living Waters when I read it earlier this year, which was a remarkably meditative book that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about, and I have been counting down the days until I could get my hands on book two and thank you so much to Dan Fitzgerald for the opportunity to read it early – and for such a wonderful second book!

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

An aging alchemist seeks the key to the Universal Tincture said to unlock the Thousand Worlds of the mind, but she never expected to solve the riddle of her hermetic heart. 

A meditation acolyte travels the mystical social media known as the Caravan and finds that the Thousand Worlds lie just below the surface, if she can only learn to see the space between the stars. 

This steamy romantic fantasy explores the confluence of the physical and the metaphysical through the commingling of bodies and minds.

Continue reading “Book Review: The Isle of a Thousand Worlds (The Weirdwater Confluence #2) – Dan Fitzgerald”

Blog Tour (Book Review): The Secret of the Sword (The Grandfather Chronicles #1) – Sean R. Bell

Hello!

In the first post for today I am delighted to be part of the Storytellers on Tour Blog Tour for The Secret of the Sword by Sean R. Bell which is the first book in The Grandfather Chronicles. There is also a chance to win a copy of the book for yourself at the end of the post.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

An ancient bloodline. A powerful enemy. A hidden sword with the power to save or destroy the Earth.

Ian Dekker is a twenty-five-year-old filmmaker and hockey fanatic living a happy life in Toronto, but little does he know his destiny is about to change forever. The arrival of a mysterious letter from his deceased grandfather draws him back to his home city of Montreal, to his grandfather’s old house, where he follows clues that lead him to an astonishing truth. Ian is a descendant of the Pendragons: the family who, in the Middle Ages, established a vast empire in Western Europe, giving rising to legendary figures such as the High King Uther, whose mentor was none other than the great wizard Merlin. However, as Ian learns, King Uther had a jealous sibling named Morgana, who, after living in her brother’s shadow, turned to darkness in order to gain power and exact her revenge. Merlin and Uther managed to trap Morgana inside the sword Excalibur—but now, centuries later, she is on the brink of escaping her magical prison with the help of loyal followers.

This is where Ian comes in. Just like his grandfather before him, Ian must harness his magic and inner strength in order to keep evil at bay. Armed with only his grandfather’s journal, myth comes to life, and Ian is swept into an adventure that takes him across the world and between realms—from light into shadow—as he accepts his destiny. By his side is his childhood friend, Kate, as well as his mother, Lynn, who both help him navigate the mysterious waters of his family history. Ian’s courage and strength are tested as he searches for answers, meeting cruel enemies along the way who use trickery and possession in order to pursue Ian in his quest. In this story, good and evil have the same destination, and only the legacy of a grandson—fuelled by his grandfather’s love and trust—can save the world from complete destruction. 

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): The Secret of the Sword (The Grandfather Chronicles #1) – Sean R. Bell”

Blog Tour (Book Review): No Song, But Silence (Wind Tide #3) – Jonathan Nevair

Hello!

Today is my stop on the blog tour for ‘No Song, But Silence’ by Jonathan Nevair organised by Storytellers on Tour. This is the third book in the Wind Tide series, and you can find my reviews of the previous books ‘Goodbye to the Sun’ and ‘Jati’s Wager’ here. It has been an absolute delight to follow this series from start to finish.

I hope that you will check out the book and the author, and enjoy the rest of the tour with the schedule in the banner below or (HERE).

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

The tide of justice ebbs. A mysterious and reclusive superpower threatens to extend its reach, colonizing new star systems for Wind energy and spreading a corrupt political empire. The People’s Army, once the hope for a new federation of allies in the Arm, has dwindled to a mere spectator in the fight for political control. Ailo’s role in its revolutionary fervor is over. The esoteric philosophy of the legendary Cin Quinti is her only concern now. But when an unimaginable threat sends a political shock wave through the Arm she must weigh the cost of self-preservation, hiding in the shadows as civilization falls to despotism and tyranny.

Light years away on Kol 2, a young librarian grows inspired by a mentor’s clandestine teachings. What he discovers with the newfound knowledge reveals a moral avalanche. The dubious and cruel political power corrupting his society must be exposed, but it will take a leap of faith to challenge an empire.

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): No Song, But Silence (Wind Tide #3) – Jonathan Nevair”

Blog Tour (Book Review): Once Upon A Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology

Hello!

Today I am delighted to be helping kick off the blog tour for Once Upon A Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology which is out from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing tomorrow. This is a wonderful wintery read, and I hope that you will check out both it and the rest of the blogs helping with the tour.

Disclaimer – I received a copy in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.

Book Summary:

A shape-shifting spirit haunts a family in England during the depths of winter. 

A woman must locate a snowflake for a magical trickster to save her frozen true love. 

A witch knocks upon a young man’s door to take his life on Christmas day. 

A small boy meets a faerie housed within a snow drop.

Once upon a time stories travelled from place to place on the tongues of merchants and thieves and kings alike. Under the blanket of night they were exchanged between children, and passed on to their children, and their children after them. Details were altered from one generation to the next until thousands of tales existed where once there were few. 

In the spirit of these age-old stories comes Once Upon a Winter, a seasonal anthology of folk and fairy tales from 17 authors across the globe. It covers the Gothic, the romantic, the whimsical, the frightening and everything in-between, and features both intriguing twists on classic tales and exciting original stories.

The first of four planned seasonal anthologies from Macfarlane Lantern Publishing, Once Upon a Winter is sure to have a story for just about everyone. Grab your copy in time for Christmas today!

Inside this anthology: 

The Biting Cold by Josie Jaffrey

The Match Girl by Rebecca F. Kenney

Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bharat Krishnan

A Pea Ever After by Adie Hart

The Snow Drop by H. L. Macfarlane

Silverfoot’s Edge by Ella Holmes

The Storm Hags by Caroline Logan

The Boggart of Boggart Hole Clough by Jake Curran-Pipe

Around the Hawthorne Tree by Jenna Smithwick

The Best Girl this Side of Winter by Laila Amado

The Snow Trolls by S. Markem

Lord of the Forest by Katherine Shaw

Queen of the Snows by Joyce Reynolds-Ward

Long Meg and the Sorcerer’s Stones by M. J. Weatherall

The Frost of Mercy by A. J. Van Belle

Wintercast by R. A. Gerritse

You Can’t See Me by Kate Longstone

Continue reading “Blog Tour (Book Review): Once Upon A Winter: A Folk and Fairy Tale Anthology”

Book Review: Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women and Non-Binary Writers – A.R. Ward (Editor)

Hello!

Today I’m reviewing Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women & Non-Binary Writers, which is a perfect read for the spooky season.

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Book Summary:

Since the earliest creation myths, womens’ bodies have been a site of conflict, venerated and feared in equal measure. In this collection, talented female and non-binary writers let rip with twenty-two powerful, visceral body horror stories that explore, celebrate and dissect (sometimes literally) femininity and the female experience. The stories traverse difficult and sometimes controversial ground, digging into subjects like eating disorders, the beauty industry, pregnancy, infertility, body dysmorphia, domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse–all done with passion, humour, and creativity.

Approach with an open mind and a strong stomach.

*****

Contributors:
A.J. Van Belle, Alice Austin, April Yates, Caitlin Marceau, Cecilia Kennedy, Emma Kathryn, Evelyn Freeling, Faye Snowden, Kristin Cleaveland, Lindsay King-Miller, Michelle Mellon, Nico Bell, Nicola Kapron, Nicole M. Wolverton, Petina Strohmer, Sally Hughes, Saoirse Ní Chiaragáin, Varian Ross, Vashelle Nino, Victoria Nations, Vivian Kasley

Continue reading “Book Review: Blood & Bone: An Anthology of Body Horror by Women and Non-Binary Writers – A.R. Ward (Editor)”